KTM rider Cyril Despres collected the fourth Dakar win of his career today in Lima. Competing on MICHELIN tires, the Frenchman took the victory ahead of Marc Coma and Helder Rodrigues, making it a repeat of last year's podium… but in a different order. 'Privateers' Jordi Villadoms and Stefan Svitko rounded off the top five for KTM/MICHELIN, while Spain's Joan Barreda (Husqvarna/MICHELIN) was probably the revelation of this year's rally.

Before the finish, Cyril Despres took time to talk about the performance of his tires from the start in Mar del Plata, Argentina, to today's finish in Lima, Peru.

"Both physically and psychologically, it was a very tough event since Marc kept up the pressure all the way to the penultimate day. We both risked paying the price for the small errors we made. As in 2009, the Argentine stages were hard on our tires and mousses, while we really didn't know what to expect in Peru. In fact, the ground here turned out to be quite soft, with lots of sand, and therefore not much wear.

The Dakar is getting harder and harder technically, and the competition is very close, too. Our bikes and tires must be capable of producing faultless runs. The biggest factor I look for in a tire is confidence, and its ability to soak up the knocks in order to avoid a fall, which is never recommended on an event like this.

I was very pleased with the products that Michelin produced for this year's Dakar, namely the Marathon, the Desert and the Desert Race. I ran at least once with each one. The Marathon is what I would term the conservative choice. It is a little less competitive but very durable. I used it twice in Argentina.

For the long 'marathon' leg, I gambled on the running the Desert Race at the rear with Bib-Mousse, and I think it was a good choice. In addition to performing strongly, it was also comfortable, and absorbed the sort of big impacts that can damage a rim. It enabled me to push all the way to the finish without having to worry about wear or the mousse. I think today's 450cc bikes could have contested every stage with this tire which was available in other sizes to cover all the competitors."

Leg 14 - positions:

Provisional overall positions:

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